Hans knudson



(No Model') KNUDSON.

BRIDGE. No. 356,407. Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

IN I

- WITNESSES S rains UNKTE ATENT HANS KNUDSON, OF DE FOREST, VVISGONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HANS S. GRINDE, OF SAME PLACE.

BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,407. dated January 18, 1887.

Application filed April 13, 1886. Serial No. 199,721. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS KNUDsoN, of De Forest, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridges; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in bridges.

The object is to provide a simple, strong, and durable bridge structure, which shall be quitefree from liability to damage from the ex- 1 5 pansion and contraction caused by the changes in temperature, and in which the materialshall be disposed with a view to lightness and strength. \Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the bridge in side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

The bridge consists of a pair of stringers, A, connected at the ends by a pair of cross-girders, B.

On the stringers A, which are preferably 3o slightly arched, are located a series of cross ties or girders, C, conhected together by a pair of horizontal curved braces, D, composed of cables or series of links, starting from the ends of one end cross-tie and extending to the ends of the opposite end cross-tie, with a gradual sweep toward each other as they approach the central portion of the bridge. The ties O are further connected at points over the stringers A by oblique struts E, which extend from one tie obliquely upwardly to a point, e, over the next succeeding tie, and from thence downwardly to the second tie from the beginning. Each tie, excepting the first two at each end, has an oblique strut, E, extending upwardly 4 5 to the right andleft therefrom, while thestruts from the two first ties on each end of the bridge extend obliquely toward the middle of the bridge. The ties G are connected with each other at the points where they cross, and the whole is bound firmly together by a series of double links or tie-rods, F, which extend from the points c, down on opposite sides of the struts E, to the cross-ties and stringers and bind the whole firmly together. The expansion of the struts E will tend to raise the points 6, and 5 the simultaneous expansion of the links or ties F will admit ofsuch expansion, or in case of thelongitudinal expansion of thestringers will bend slightly Without injury.

The bridge is intended to be constructed of iron or steel, the stringers, cross-ties, and struts being composed of tubes.

The bridge as thus constructed is supported upon the edges of a pair of inclined supports,

G. The supports G may consist of heavy plates of metal, having highly tempered or hardened edges gand g, and adapted to reach across from stringer to stringer; or two or more such plates might be employed at each end, and the plates might be made in skeleton form instead of solid. The upper edge, 9, of each plate-support has a bearing in an angularshaped groove or seat, h, in the lower face of removable shoes H, secured to the under side of the cross-girders B, and the lower edge, of each plate-support has a bearing in one or more angular-shaped grooves, '6, formed in metallic or other hard foundation I.

One or more strong bars or arms, K, are firmly secured to the supporting-plates G, and lead from the plate or plates Ur slightly upwardly toward the center of the bridge, passing beneath the projecting end of one of the cross-ties O and over the end of the next, leaving the said bar or arm a slight vertical play between the ends of the two said cross-ties.

The supporting-plates G are set slightly inclined in the same directiomand the weight of the bridge alone, and of the bridge and its load, will therefore tend to cause the supports G to 0 pitch forwardlyin the direction in which they incline and the'bridge to fall. Such tendency is, however, checked by the engagement of the bar or bars K with the ends of the cross'ties over which the bar extends, since the rocking 5 motion of the supportingplates in the direction in which they incline tends to throw the free end of the bar K downwardly. It follows then that a graduated lever adapted to lift on the free end of the bar or arm K would serve, too when provided with a uniform movable weight on its long arm, to make known the increase or decrease in weight on the bridge, or would serve to weigh, as in an ordinary steelyard. One form in which this could be accomplished is represented in Fig. in which averticallyrocking arm, L, carrying aknife-edge fulcrum, l, on its free end, is mounted on the'end of one of the cross-tics C, as shown at M; or it might be mounted on a stud or bolt set in the crosstie or other part of the bridge at a point between the free end of the arm and the support Gr.

A graduated lever, O, is fulcrumed on the stud or arm 7, its short arm being connected with the free end of the lever by alink or conmeeting-rod, P, and its long arm being pro vided with a movable weight, 1).

The bridge itself being balanced while the weight 12 is at zero on the scale by moving the fulcrum along the bar, or by other suitable means, the weight of the car or wagon with its load may be ascertained,wl1en on the bridge, by moving the weight 1) along the scale sufficiently to balance the bridge with its load.

The attachment of a scale-pan to the long end of the lever and the use of weights of different known values therein might be employed, and other changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

hen two or more arms or bars, K, are eniployed, the lifting of one would necessarily lift all, since it would tend to rock the supports into a more nearly upright position; but it would be desirable to have the two or more arms or bars connected with each other, so that they would produce an equal lifting strain on the support.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a bridge, the combination, with a pair of stringers connected at the ends by a pair of cross-girders and a series of cross-ties located on the stringers, of a series of oblique struts connecting the ends' of each two alternate cross-ties and meeting above the intermediate cross-tie, vertical tie rods orlinks leading from the meeting points of the struts down on 0pposite sides of the struts to the cross-ties, and horizontal braces leading from one end girder to the other, connecting the cross-ties and curving toward each other at the central portion of the bridge, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in theprescn'ce of two subscribing witnesses.

HANS KNUDSON.

Witnesses:

O. S. HOLUM, G120. DURKEE. 

